News & Features
November 1, 2007
Work of Economist Editorial Cartoonist on Display at Sanford Institute
Decades of contentious political issues and colorful political players are on display at Duke University in an exhibit of nearly 100 editorial cartoons by award-winning cartoonist Kevin “KAL” Kallaugher. The exhibit, titled “Mightier Than the Sword: The Satirical Pen of KAL,” is located in the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy’s Rubenstein Hall. It opens Nov. 7 and will remain on display through the remainder of the academic year.
“Cartooning is one of the oldest and most compelling forms of political satire,” said Fritz Mayer, associate professor of public policy. “And as we see with The Daily Show, often some of the most important insights into politics and policy come first through satire.”
One of the nation’s foremost cartoonists, KAL uses caricature to
yield insights on a range of policy concerns. His drawings offer perspective
on national and international political events, from the fall of the Soviet
Union and the end of apartheid in South Africa to the 9/11 and Katrina disasters
in the United States. The exhibit’s themes include American elections
and politics, foreign affairs, 9/11 and the world in turmoil, and caricatures
of leading figures such as Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. A
larger version of the exhibit was displayed in Baltimore’s Walters
Art Museum last year.
“The experience of seeing the world through KAL’s eyes is eye-opening,” Mayer said. “You might not always agree with his take of world figures and events, but you will leave the exhibit thinking differently about them.”
KAL has been illustrating world affairs for The Economist magazine
of London since 1978, and his cartoons have appeared in prominent publications
worldwide including Le Monde, Der Spiegel, Pravda, The
Australian, The New York Times, Time, Newsweek and The
Washington Post. From 1988 to 2006, he drew more than 4,000 cartoons
as the cartoonist for The Baltimore Sun.
He has won many awards including the 1999, 2002 and 2005 Thomas Nast Prize from the National Overseas Press Club of America and the 2004 Gillray Goblet from the Political Cartoon Society of Great Britain for cartoon of the year. His cartoons are distributed worldwide by Cartoonarts International and the New York Times Syndicate. His fifth book, KAL Draws Criticism, was published in June 2006.
The exhibit is free and open to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is available in the Bryan Center parking deck located on Science Drive.
For more information, contact: Karen Kemp | (919) 613-7394 | Karen.kemp@duke.edu
